If I wish it

Sometimes, I wish I lived somewhere else. I've lived in the Houston area all my life, and there are things I really love. But the heat. The humidity. I could probably do without those. Also, the lack of "seasons".

This photograph was not taken in Houston. I took this at Berkeley last December.

I so desperately love the colors of fall foliage, and I dream of living in a place where I can really experience them. Then winter comes, and I feel pretty good about my locale.

To pretend fall is nearer than it is for me, I started a pin board to get me inspired. Now I'm dreaming of warm fall shades, jewel tones and ashy gray. I'm thinking about bonfires, carnivals, trench coats and knits.

Speaking of knits, I finished half of one this week.

My first Toast mitt is finished, and I'm halfway done with the second.

In thinking about fall, I'm also pretty excited about this month's color focus for Project Spectrum:

It's yellow! I do love yellow.

I'm going to link up with Rachel today as part of Celebrate Color.

Progress & Project Spectrum

Please click through to view the sources/original photos

Now that it's August 22nd, here's my August Project Spectrum inspiration mosaic. I've been thinking of pinks and purples all month, but just got around to making the monthly mosaic.

Earlier this month, I cast on for a pair of Toast Armwarmers with some stashed GLBLF handspun, in full PS spirit. Sam's handspun is incredible, and this skein is no exception. Even though we've had at least three weeks of triple-digit heat, I'm dreaming of cool[er] temperatures as I knit these.

I started another new knitting project as well. My friend Rue is releasing a free pattern soon for an adorable baby sweater (although it's not quite as adorable as the baby in it!), and I'm test knitting it! I've never test knit before, and I'm pretty excited about it!

I cast on for one of the sleeves about a week ago, and here's my progress so far. This uses fingering weight yarn and size 1 needles, so it's going to be a while! I am enjoying the process, though, and the yarn I'm using? Sundara FSM, a Christmas gift from Elliott, is amazing to knit with. It's so soft.

FO: Mom's Mini Geese

Well, it's finished.

I finished hand sewing the binding Monday evening. This has not been washed yet, but I'll be doing that before handing it over to my mom. I'm really happy with how this turned out, although I do see some imperfections.

If I were to make this again, I would probably add a border to the perimeter, as some of my geese got shortened. I just looked at the original again, and it did not have this problem, so user error strikes. I might have used a wider binding than it called for, or maybe my border idea would solve it for me.

I also am not 100% satisfied with my quilting. I think I had some unevenness in my seams, which made the quilting used in the original difficult to do.

On the other hand, I think it makes for a simple backing.

I am very happy with my fabric choices. When I originally posted my progress shot on flickr, there were calls for an aqua, lime green or yellow binding. These were all fun and smart color choices, but in the end, I think my mom will appreciate the lime green.

Olias and I actually enjoyed the slow process, and watched several TV episodes while doing so (Season 2 of Lost [my first time through], The Forsyte Saga [Kara shoutout! I love it!] and one movie: Roman Holiday).

I guess the bottom line is, while this is not perfect, I learned a lot and I do love the look of it. And I know my mom will see past the imperfections and marvel at the time I put into this for her.

She has gotten back into sewing lately, and wishes she had more time to devote to it. I hope hanging this in her sewing room will inspire her to sit down at the machine soon!

A winner (and also, my mom loves purple)

Before I get to the FOs, we have a little business to attend to! The winner of the Malabrigo Sock yarn and a ravelry sock or shawl pattern is... lucky # thirteen! Congratulations, Huei Sei! This yarn will be on it's way to Malaysia very soon!

I'm sorry I couldn't share with all of you that entered, but take heart;
I'll be sharing more goodies throughout the month. Promise!

Speaking of purple, if my mom could be completely surrounded by the color, I think she would. Her husband might not like it, but that would be her choice!

My mom recently celebrated a birthday, and I came up with three projects I thought she would enjoy, each in purple fabrics.

I made her an iPad pouch for her new toy, using Joel Dewberry's Aviary 2. [Side note: I'm such a huge JD fan. I can't recall a line of his I haven't loved, and I can't wait to get my hands on some Heirloom!]

I didn't use a pattern for the pouch, and I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out.

I also made her a Jane Market Bag. I've now made at least four of these, and I thoroughly recommend the pattern.
I'm not sure what the exterior fabric is. It's from my grandmother's stash, but it's a really soft cotton. It kind of looks like a Kaffe Fassett print, but I'm pretty sure it's several years old. The pocket fabric is by Kitty Yoshida.

Finally, I've been working on the amazing July mini quilt from the purl bee. I should be finished with it in a week or so, but now that I've shown my mom her last present, I can share it with you.

Geese! This is my first experience with flying geese, and I. am. hooked. Seriously! Geese are so much fun. The cutting is a little intense, but the result is just. Well, it's satisfying. I've since finished the top and pinned it (I'm using a very PLAIN backing). I hope to finish the quilting this weekend.

Happy birthday again, momma! I love you!

A yarny giveaway - Project Spectrum style

As part of my efforts to reduce stash, I have decided to share some items with you. So, in August, I will have three giveaways. Each will be related to a different craft, so hopefully, there will be something for everyone!

Giveaway one is all about the knitting.

One winner will receive this skein of Malabrigo Sock in Eggplant (here's where Project Spectrum comes to light, since August's color focus is pink and purple). The winner will also receive an electronic sock or shawl pattern of his or her choosing.
I think the easiest way to do this will be a gift on ravelry for the pattern. If the winner doesn't have a ravelry account, we'll work something out to make it fair.

How does that sound? Any takers? I've sung the praises of Malabrigo before. It's lovely, squishy stuff.

International entries are welcome.
One entry per person.

I'll take entries until Monday, August 1st, 8:00 PM CST.
If you are a no-reply blogger, PLEASE leave your email address so I can contact you.

ETA: Comments are now closed.

One sock on, one sock off...

Sometimes, you just have to admit defeat (or defeet, if you're super corny). After months of languishing on the needles, I decided to frog my Marlene sock progress.

I had concerns about how saggy this sock was on my foot, and I finally frogged it last week. The lovely MadelineTosh Sock yarn will go back into the stash, and I'll try again. It might have been the needle size, or maybe I'll try casting on with less stitches, but it just didn't work out.

It was pretty calming to rip this baby apart and rewind the yarn cake. I would rather destroy progress than be unhappy with the finished sock.

I also cast on for a new sock on the 4th of July. While my boyfriend watched some soccer, I worked on this beauty.

This yarn is The Plucky Knitter's MCN Fingering in Nautical Mile, a perfect way to start July's Project Spectrum focus on blue. It's the perfect blue and just slightly semi-solid. I'm using a pattern from Wendy Johnson's Socks from the Toe Up called the Trilobite Sock. Kind of a perfect match, I think. [Side note: It's hard to get your hands on Plucky Knitter yarn, but damn, is it ever worth it. It's so soft and vibrant.]

The stitch pattern is really lovely so far. I'm hoping to get an actual sock completed before the end of July. Whoa. That would be amazing for me. If you're new to sock knitting, Wendy's book is a great resource. There is a section at the front dedicated to explaining the various cast on and bind off methods for socks, as well as some variations on the heel.

I love the Turkish Cast-on best, and that's what I'm using here.

If you knit socks, what's your favorite cast on for a toe-up sock, or do you prefer knitting from the cuff-down?

A really tiny amount of knitting

Green is abundant in my stash, but apparently, time to knit this month was not. I cast on for this scarf the first week of June, and this is as far as I got.

Luckily, there's no stress of me needing to finish a wool scarf for many months, but I hope to work on this more soon. I absolutely love the color. It's close to the perfect green, in my opinion.

And the texture? I can't get enough of it. Malabrigo is a great choice for defined stitches.

Coming soon, some thank yous, and come back tomorrow for a return of Food Friday!

FOs: Jane Market Bags

This Jane Market Bag pattern is so much fun to make.
The proof? I've made four so far, with promises to make at least another three.

This one is for me, and I used Outside Oslo fabric by Jessica Jones for the exterior and pockets. The interior is Alexander Henry's Dasha, and the straps are Denyse Schmidt's Hope Valley.

I also made two similar bags using a Joann's home decor fabric I found on sale last year, as well as some awesome green Echino, and an Anthology balloon print for the lining.

I gave one to my sister and kept one for myself. I couldn't part with the sunglasses (or at least a piece of them).

I just love the green and purple combo!

Choosing the fabric for a project is definitely my favorite part, and I loved coming up with these combinations. The bag comes together very quickly.

I followed the pattern pretty closely, but I did make the straps longer on the last bag.

As written, the straps are not long enough to carry the bag on your shoulder, which I prefer.

Try the pattern for yourself, and you can grocery shop in style!

Progress: Bottled Rainbows

I finished my third Bottled Rainbows block this week.

I don't why I didn't think of it last month, but I realized that I could work on Bottled Rainbows as part of Project Spectrum. Duh. I know, obvious, right?

So, this week, I put together my Lime green block. I have a ton of green scraps. I recently traded scraps with a few people, including Melissa, so my scraps options were plentiful.

Bella offered to help me place scraps, which was awfully helpful.

Here's the finished block. I really love it, although I think the orange block is still my favorite.

I like the look of these blocks all lined up in a row.

I hope to get my second green block done before the end of June.

In other green crafty news, I've cast on for a knitting project with this yarn:

I just love the color, and even though Worsted Wool is absolutely impractical for Houston right now, I couldn't resist starting something with it. It should work up quickly, and I'll share photos soon.

I'm working on getting some furniture out of the house and donated this morning, as well as breakfast with a dear friend. And of course, there will be crafting!
Have a fun Saturday!

June Project Spectrum: a focus on green

Well, May came and went with very little red crafting. I am still working on the Hedera socks, but I am off to a slow start for Project Spectrum.

I've started brainstorming for June, the month of green.

I created this mosaic (I just love making mosaics!) of some of my favorite green flickr inspirations. Please click through to see picture sources.

I hope to work more on this new quilting project:

I'm making a Map of the States quilt. After trying this block back in February, I decided I would love an entire quilt of scrappy squares.

My inspiration started with the Magnolia Lane line, by Laura Gunn.

I love her bold florals, and especially the Painter's Canvas prints. I think they pair nicely with the other prints I've chosen. There's a little Kumari Gardens, Valori Wells, Amy Butler, and Joel Dewberry.

This picture I took in Berkeley last December is also inspiring to me. Ah, I wish it was as cool as that rainy day, instead of 100 degrees. Well, we can't have everything!

Have a great weekend!

Casting On: Red Hedera

I couldn't resist.

This skein of Madeline Tosh sock yarn has been sitting in the stash since last fall.
Granted, I have several projects on the needles, countless skeins of yarn, sitting patiently in the stash, but this gorgeous red hue was calling to me. I blame Lolly and of course, Project Spectrum. It got me thinking about red. Lolly said it best when she talked here about being mindful. Take a moment. Breathe. Enjoy the color in your life.

So, I did. I took a moment, and this weekend, I cast on for a long-admired Knitty A pattern, Hedera.

I love the simple four row repeat, and I LOVE the rich, saturated red.

I worked on this briefly on Saturday, while I was in Austin. Up next, I'll have some pictures to share from Sarah's graduation party. She made incredible food and Vodka-Thyme Lemonade. Whoa. That's the only word for the lemonade. And also, delicious.

Wordless Wednesday

FO: Apple Ishbel

Given that my last knitting FO of the year (which was also the first one of the year, so YIKES.) was finished in January, I'm proud to finally have some finished knitting to share.

This is my third time to knit Ysolda's Ishbel, and this time I used a fabulous alpaca/cashmere/silk blend of yarn. I loved knitting with it, and if it's possible, I think it got even softer after washing.

The resulting shawl is so snuggly. My only modification was to eliminate the last two rows, as I was dangerously close to running out of yarn. I knit the large stockinette and the small lace. It felt good to finish some knitting, since I've been spending so much of my free time on sewing and quilting. I have two other nearly-finished knitting projects that I'd like to get wrapped up soon.

Raveled here

I've also committed to participating in Lolly's awesome Project Spectrum again. I enjoyed the project back in 2009, and I'm looking forward to some inspiration each month to focus on one color. I doubt I will completely adhere to this, as I have some ongoing projects and things I want to accomplish, of course. I've started a pinboard to get me in the red state of mind.

I also created this mosaic on flickr (click through for photo credits). I painted my fingernails red yesterday, too. Sometimes, it's the little things.

If you'd like to play along, please join in!

In non-crafting news, I did some much needed house cleaning this weekend (okay, I know that doesn't really qualify as news, but it was mandatory!). I also recently joined a gym, and I've been trying to go at least twice a week. My yoga class yesterday left me really sore, but in a good way.

No name shawl

I haven't decided what to name this yet, but I cast on for the Multnomah shawl last night. I've been reading Hello Knitty's blog for quite some time, and this is her second design. It's such a gorgeous shawl, and it seems perfect for this yarn I've had stashed since last summer:

This is Unique Sheep's Verve in Dusk Dark. It makes me think of Van Gogh's Starry Night. I love how fast a shawl works up when the rows are short.

Don't worry, I'm still working furiously on my Boston sweater, but after finishing the body, I haven't had some uninterrupted time to pick up stitches for the button band. I plan to do that this weekend, though, and then it's smooth sailing again.

FO: Radiant Gradiant Ishbel

Seriously, I'm in love. This is by far the most beautiful thing I've ever made. I'm so proud to share this with you.

My Ishbel is complete and blocked!

Details: Ishbel, by Ysolda
Yarn: The Unique Sheep Verve Gradiant Sock Yarn, approximately 320 yards
Needles: Size 6
Time: 2.5 months, although it sat finished, but not blocked for one full month
Recipient: perhaps a gift, not sure yet


Thoughts: This pattern was extremely gratifying.

I accomplished several "firsts" with this FO: first shawl, first lace (I've had a few "semi-lace" projects, but this was the first with a fingering weight yarn), first wet-block. I cannot express how much I love this pattern.

I will absolutely make another, and I wish I had tons more gradiant yarn. The slow shift of colors is so appealing to me. The Unique Sheep yarn, purchased from Woolgirl sometime last fall, was very lovely to work with, and got incredibly soft after washing.

I blocked this using only straight pins (no blocking wires in my house so far, but that may change!). I like how the tips are not extremely pointy, although I'm considering blocking once more to get them a little pointier.

The next time I make this, I'm going to knit the larger stockinette portion as many have done, with the smaller lace portion.

My only disappointment in this FO is that I didn't get to use all the yarn! I've got about 80 yards left, which is definitely not enough for anything else. I guess like many others before me, I'll develop a sock yarn leftovers stash.

If you've never done lace before, I recommend this as a first dip into the pool. You do the stockinette portion first, so you get accustomed to the pattern flow, the yarn, etc,before getting to the tough stuff. I did have one row that I had to tink back and redo, as my stitch count was off, but other than that, it was smooth sailing!

This is my second Ysolda pattern, and I understand the buzz. Her patterns are so easy to understand and very enjoyable.

Oh, the love in my heart!!

Freaking Finally Socks!!

I don't know what my problem is about socks. I've tried to make them twice before, as in, cast on, plugged away for a while, enough to have the whole leg knit, start the heel, and then, screw it. I just. gave. up. I don't think it's the heel that gets me.
I think it's the fiddly double pointed needles with the teeny tiny yarn thread.

In an effort to combat that double threat, I bought this new sock book and decided to teach myself to knit from the toe-up, and not use dpns.

Saturday night, I taught myself the turkish cast-on, and using two circulars, I'm well on my way to the heel.

I'm using Rock Creek yarn in Cherry Blossom, and I've decided to just knit these in plain stockinette, although I may do some patterning on the leg portion, if I'm feeling particularly ambitious. I do think this yarn looks lovely in plain stockinette, though.

Gratuitious Olias shot above.

Here's hoping I can break the sock curse!